Mini Session "Sneak Peak"

Back in early October, we had a mini session with our wonderful photographer, Kamin Williams, for Fall and Christmas pictures. Kamin is an amazingly talented photographer (please visit her awesome blog here) and she manages to get a least a few shots I LOVE each time we book a session with her. Trust me, with us, that's a EXTREME challenge! Last year we did Christmas pictures with her too but it was only the boys so this year, we made it a family affair. These are our "sneak peak" pictures from our mini session and now I'm more than excited to see them all--can't wait! It's also nice to have a picture all four of us are in for a change; yes the boys do have a dad AND a mom! For our session, we had the idea to take some pictures down on the train tracks because Jackson is currently obsessed with trains. While both Ray and I think we could be skinner and look better (that's a separate post and issue), we think the boys are TOO cute! I promise to share more pictures, and a "sneak peak" of our Christmas card, as I get them and finish up! Wow, I can't believe it's the holiday season--time sure flies when you're having fun!

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Oh How I Love Them All-Must I Only Choose One

My mission for this holiday season is simple--make a list, devise a plan and act fast! So, in line with my mission I devised a plan for my first task of the season, holiday cards! I love holiday cards because I love stationary and all things related (quirky, I know)! Since I love stationary so much, one would think I was an eager beaver when it came to designing/ordering my holiday cards--not so much! I think it's because I never seem to get them finished and in the mail "on time". On time for me is mailed the day after Thanksgiving (quirky again, I know)! Because I always seem to feel rushed, I tend to get frustrated and end up "settling" on a design and then wish I'd done a better job. Well, not this season! What's different this holiday season you ask? This season I've planned ahead. We had fall/holiday family pictures taken earlier this month. Since I know I will have a great photo, or several, to work with, I decided to go ahead and pick a holiday card design, coordinate my address labels, compile my address list and be ready to order, label and mail them all before setting the Thanksgiving table. Ambitious you say--yes, I know. But, I must brag a bit as I am on track to complete all and with time to spare. How, you ask? Let me share some helpful information with you so that you can also be ahead of the holiday card rush and relax with me (go ahead, I dare ya)! Do you Shutterfly? If you do, pat yourself on the back--you deserve it! If you don't, it's time to start! Shutterfly has some of the most amazing products, fantastic quality and their price point is second to none. I have always loved everything I ordered from them and their holiday and Christmas selection is sure not to disappoint. Let me show you a few items I'm drooling over: Mod Snowflake Flurries Christmas Card Someone out there really DOES love me!! An orange and lime green Christmas card with the option of multiple photographs--how de-lish!!

Initially Chic Green Christmas Card

This one had me at chic! As you all know, I am a sucker for anything with initials and a neat design. I must say, this card is right up my alley. You can find both of these designs, and many others, in the Christmas Card section at Shutterfly or just click here.

Christmas Letter Holiday Story Card

As I was drooling over the first two cards, I noticed Shutterfly also offered Holiday Story Cards. I was immediately intrigued with this idea and had to explore further. How brilliant are these designs? Quit brilliant I say! What a wonderful (and cute) way to send an update to your family and friends this holiday season!!

Thanksgiving Season Fall Greeting Card

At times I consider myself pretty crafty and creative. However, this one completely made me re-think just how creative I am. Shutterfly has a great selection of Thanksgiving cards! Why have I never thought of sending Thanksgiving cards? Why, oh why when there are so many cute one's here to choose from?!?!

Joyous and Blessed Religious Christmas Card Now this one warmed my heart! This is what the Christmas season is all about! The wonderful miracle of the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ! I can't think of a better way to celebrate such a miracle than with this beautiful Christmas card. This gorgeous design is in the religious collection and there are tons more beautiful designs-check them all out here.

Address Labels And please, do not, I repeat, do not forget to order some coordinating address labels--an absolute must in my book!! Check out the selection by going here. And not to worry because even though the prices are fantastic, Shutterfly is offering 20% off all holiday cards too! Now, that makes it even sweeter to be on task with holiday cards this season!!

Excited? I am. I can hardly wait to get my holiday cards!! Which one's am I ordering you ask? Well, you'll have to come back and see when they arrive. I can't wait to share them with you! Makes me think I should plan a viewing party--Christmas cocktail anyone? Should you need an invitation for that, Shutterfly has you covered there too--check these out!

Shake It Up Christmas Invitation This cute design is from the invitation collection and I think I may just have to throw that viewing party after all--hope to see y'all there!

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Photo Dilemmas

The photo has nothing to do with this post. I found it today on the Better Homes and Gardens site while doing some research for a sweet friend that asked me for some suggestions on door colors. Isn't it magnificent? Now, my dilemma. I have been trying to put together a slide-show of photographs of my design ideas, rooms and projects and I just cannot seem to get photos I like. I come across lots of beautiful design photos on other blogs and I'm a tad bit jealous, how do they get such good photos I ask? So, I decided to take to the web and start searching for tips. I've read lots of different posts, sites and articles but I really like this one by Apartment Therapy. Here are their tips: Lighting • Lighting is so important to the quality of an image. For interiors, it is usually best to shoot in daylight and avoid flash — which can sometimes lend a blown-out and artificial appearance to a scene. It's nice to turn on lights in a room just for a little point of brightness. If you do use a flash, be sure not to reflect the light off of glass or mirrors, because you'll get a bright streak in the image that you won't like.

• If you are able to, position yourself so the primary light source is behind you. This will offer the most balanced lighting and will prevent the shots of windows that are blown out and "hot" in an otherwise dark room.

• Sometimes we want to focus on a lighting feature, such as a chandelier or a candle. In these cases, bright natural light won't provide the biggest visual impact for the scene. Dusk allows daylight to give some sense of detail in a photo, but the light will be low enough to contrast with that coming from your own lighting feature, making it pop.

• Dusk is also a better time to photograph windows — low natural light will allow you to take pictures that aren't blown out by midday sunlight.

Composition • You're not just taking a picture of a thing here, you're capturing a scene. When you look through the lens, don't see just what's in the middle of the frame. Pay attention to all the borders of a composition. Don't cut anything off at awkward angles, and try to make your photos straight and level.

• This doesn't mean you should take elevation-style pictures of everything. Definitely experiment with angles. Get up on a chair or down on your knees to find the most dynamic shot. For interiors especially, you will find that getting on your knees often offers the best angle. If you are photographing a tight area, use a wide angle lens to capture more space. Vary your angles and take some time to do close-up details as well. In a set, if all the images are made the same distance away from the camera and directly at eye level, it'll become boring to click through very quickly. Fill your lens only with things that you think are attractive. If you're getting a lot of tangled computer wires or other eyesores in your frame, move your camera until you don't see them anymore.

Staging A home looks like a home not when it's perfectly clean and all the dishes are put away, but when there's a sense of vitality about the place. It's okay, you can leave your bedsheets rumpled and food on the table. We are not suggesting showing clutter here, just attractive signs of life. Sometimes things look different through the lens of a camera than they do in real life. Maybe you're crazy about the functionality of your countertop appliances, but for your kitchen's glamour shot perhaps you want to show off more of that marble slab and hide the blender away. Go ahead, put flowers in your vases. Move paintings around on the wall. Experiment by filling your space with the things you like in a way that seems effortless and natural.

Photoshop Take too many photos. You never know which ones are going to look great on your computer screen. Sometimes shots that seem unimpressive during a shoot turn out beautifully. Photoshop can help us make images even better by adjusting color temperature, contrast, brightness, and a million other things. If your horizon line is a little bit crooked, rotate the image. If there is superfluous information in a photo that isn't adding to its quality, crop it out. A tight composition can sometimes get the point across better.

I think they make some great points and offer some good information. Another article I read suggested shooting into the corner of the room to make it appear larger. I made a few notes for reference and I hope to get some good shots this weekend. Let's see if I can implement their instructions and teach myself how to really use Photoshop--it's a booger of a program that I've only used to convert color shots to black-and-white. Wish me luck!!

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Our Family Wall

Have I mentioned I'm a picture FREAK!!! I will take pictures of everything--I just can't help it. I always have my camera with me and Jackson's favorite thing to tell me right now is, "Mommy, no more pictures." With my picture obsession in full swing, I decided to make the most of my habit and turn it into a family wall in our study. I see these types of walls in magazines all the time and I always love them. Ray, on the other hand, was a bit skeptical and didn't know if it would look nice or cluttered. I eased his fears and decided to find some frames to bring my idea to life. My mom and dad go to this little country auction-house every Saturday night. It's a fun little place where you get to bid on a variety of items brought in by different vendors. I remember my grandpa taking me one time when I was young and he bought me a unicorn touch-lamp--I thought it was the best thing ever!! One night, one of the auction vendors had a tote full of odd sized picture frames. My mom remembered I was on a mission for picture frames so she got them for me at the bargain price of $4--SWEET! The next weekend she brought them to me and I could hardly wait to spruce them up and create my family wall. At first glance they didn't look so nice. While in good shape, they had odd colored mats and most were missing hardware. But a quick trip to the craft store, some spray paint (I know, I love some spray paint) and Ray's help with spacing made the family wall come alive! It makes me smile when I go in the room and see how our family has changed throughout the years. It has a calming effect on Macklin--each time he gets fussy we'll go to the family wall and talk to him about the pictures; who's in each one, what they are doing, where they are, etc. I really like how it turned out and I'm excited to see how it evolves in the future. Pin It